'Expendables' and 'Vampires Suck' vie for first place on a lackluster weekend

Image Credit: Karen BallardFifteen million dollars may get you a box office win this depressed weekend of moviegoing. The Expendables and Vampires Suck are competing for the No. 1 slot this frame, with Sly Stallone’s action mash-up earning an estimated $4.95 million on Friday while the Twilight spoof Vampires Suck, which bowed on Wednesday, added another $4 million to its coffers. Who will take the weekend? The edge goes to the ’80s action geezer, as Vampires Suck will like drop off over the three days. (Not that the studio is complaining: Vampires has already grossed $6.3 million heading into its first weekend in theaters, so the low budget spoof is likely to be profitable.)

The rest of the top five is a hodge podge of holdovers and new releases. Eat Pray Love took in another $3.6 million Friday, setting it up for a $12-million weekend. (That figure represents a 47-percent drop-off for its sophomore session.) Lottery Ticket is likely to land in the fourth slot. The urban comedy starring Bow Wow took in a little under $4 million on Friday for a weekend that could hit $11 million. And The Other Guys should round out the top five. The Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg comedy-actioner took in an estimated $3 million on Friday for a weekend that will likely end up at $10 million.

The week’s remaining new releases will have a hard time cracking the top five. Piranha 3-D took in an estimated $3.5 million on Friday while Nanny McPhee Returns grossed just under $3 million. The Switch, starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, also took in less than $3 million. It seems unlikely that any of these films will be able to eke out a double-digit opening. Check back tomorrow for a full report.